


Bet on Me

by Glasswingsndreamz



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Angst, Bets & Wagers, Cussing, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Modern AU, Not Beta Read, Roommates, Slow Burn, oh my god they were roommates, one sided pining
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-08-29 15:24:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16746538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glasswingsndreamz/pseuds/Glasswingsndreamz
Summary: Yamato makes a bet with Kakashi that he can confess his feelings to his roommate within a month. Kakashi is more than confident that he will win and to be honest Yamato's pretty sure Kakashi will win this bet too. Almost a year of pining is too long for anyone. If he doesn't confess now he's sure he never will.





	1. The Bet

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is super cliche and overused but no one can stop me I've actually already written the first seven chapters and plan on updating regularly. Shout out again to Jojo for being so supportive and convincing me to post this story in the first place. Also sorry to anyone who prefers to call him by Tenzo. I started writing his name as Yamato without really noticing even though I usually use Tenzo but we're seven chapters in and it's too late now.

The rain poured down onto the street. Already the sidewalk had darkened in color from being drenched by so many droplets. In retrospect Yamato should have listened to your earlier suggestion to bring an umbrella. There was too much on his mind for the rain to bother him. In fact it proved to be a relief, cooling his heated skin as he continued the walk back to his apartment. Kakashi had been nice enough to offer a ride, but Yamato had declined. Instead he opted to walk back. Thankfully the bar was only a few blocks away from where he lived.

 

By the time he reached the apartment building he had become thoroughly soaked from the pouring rain. The water had seeped through his hoodie and had just begun to drench the shirt beneath. His wet jeans clung to his legs like a second skin.

 

After entering the building, Yamato headed up the stairwell to the fourth floor. The elevator would have taken a lot less time, but it was an easy choice to choose the stairs instead. Inwardly he cringed as the memory of what happened merely ten minutes ago plagued his mind over and over.

 

_ “So you and your roommate, [Y/N] right? You’ve been living together for how many years now?” Kakashi asked before taking another sip from his drink. It was only the third one in the past three hours he had, taking it slow since he had to drive himself home. The drinking part didn’t particularly matter. It was really just about getting together and catching up after a long couple of weeks of work. They had been going to this specific bar now for a while now, at least once every two or three weeks. It had become a ritual of sorts. In order to keep in touch since Kakashi seemed to struggle to keep in touch unless a friend forcibly got him out of the house. The man was dedicated to his career and Yamato had to admire that fact.  _

 

_ “It’ll be three years in four months. You’ve met her before, remember?” Yamato said. He had switched from drinking a couple of beers to solely drinking water a while ago. It was pretty late and he didn’t want to come home drunk. He was still a ways away from being sober so it was best to start settling down now. _

 

_ “Right,” Kakashi drawled out the word. “And how long have you been in love with [Y/N]?” _

 

_ “..........” _

 

_ “Oh don’t be like that. You couldn’t possibly be more obvious. All of your decisions revolve around her. I wouldn’t doubt it if you asked for her permission to come to the bar tonight,” Kakashi watched for a reaction. From the crinkle in the corner of his eyes, it was clear to see he was obviously amused. _

 

_ “I don’t base all of my decisions on her,” Yamato stated. “We live together. It would be rude not to let [Y/N] when I plan on coming home so she doesn’t wait for me to get back.” _

 

_ “Does she normally wait for you to come home?” _

 

_ “Yeah we always do. It’s not unusual to care for a friend’s safety,” Yamato said. _

 

_ “Well the way it sounds to me is that you both have feelings for each other,” Kakashi said. “You do have feelings for her don’t you?” _

 

_ The blush rising on Yamato’s face was an answer in itself. It certainly wasn’t from the alcohol he had consumed earlier. _

 

_ “It doesn’t matter.” _

 

_ “Oof it sounds like I hit a sensitive topic after all.” _

 

_ “There would be consequences if I confessed my feelings. She could kick me out or choose to leave. Do you know how hard it was to find such a good roommate in the first place? I really don’t want to deal with that annoyance again,” Yamato said before taking a long drink from the glass of water he held in his hand. _

 

_ “From what you’ve told me before it sounds like she returns your feelings,” Kakashi said, not taking his eyes off of the younger male. _

 

_ “Even if there was a chance she did, I don’t think it’s worth the risk. I couldn’t do that.” _

 

_ “You’re right. I don’t think you could do it either,” Kakashi said before taking a long swig of his drink and then placing the empty bottle on the counter.  _

 

_ That wasn’t exactly what Yamato had expected his friend to say. It would be nice to be supported, but this seemed more like a blow to the gut. He wasn’t quite sure why Kakashi’s words bothered him so much. In the end he decided it was best not to say anything.  _

 

_ “I bet you couldn’t ask her out within a month even if I agreed to owe you a favor. I can’t imagine you ever doing that if you haven’t had the guts to ask her out for how long now? It’s been a year hasn’t it? At least from the way you started talking about her so long ago. If you didn’t ask her out that long ago there’s no way you’d ever do it now,” Kakashi stated. _

 

_ Maybe it had been the alcohol affecting Yamato. He wasn’t completely sober yet. It might have been the way his friend seemed to talk down on him. Perhaps it was the frustration, nervousness, and longing he felt towards you that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. Honestly it easily could be a mix of all of these that pushed him. _

 

_ “Are you serious?” he asked, not able to keep the irritation out of his voice. _

 

_ “Hm?” _

 

_ “If I tell her how I feel within thirty days you’ll owe me a favor right? I’ll agree to that bet.” _

 

_ “Oh? And what do I get when you don’t confess to her?” Kakashi asked. _

 

_ Yamato sighed in defeat. “Then it’s time for me to move on. I’ll owe you one in return I suppose.” _

 

_ Kakashi held out his hand, obviously pleased with how the situation escalated. “Then it’s a bet.” _

 

_ Yamato found himself hesitating before he shook hands with his friend. Already he could feel the regret setting in. _

 

Now here he was standing in front of the door to his apartment. With a heavy sigh he turned the door knob to find it unlocked. He was quick to close and lock the door behind him after entering the apartment.

 

The living room light was on and he could hear the faint noise of the television playing. He felt a bit guilty for coming home so late when you had ended up waiting for him. It was already past midnight. Still it pleased him to know you had stayed up so late to make sure he got back home safely. 

 

“[Y/N]?” Yamato called out upon entering the living room. It didn’t look like they were there despite the television still on. Walking closer, he took notice of the form sprawled across the couch.

 

There you were, changed into comfortable pajamas and completely passed out. How long ago had you fallen asleep while waiting for him to return home? Yamato mentally chided himself for not coming home sooner and you for not going to bed sooner. He had his own key. You should have locked the door and gone to bed instead of passing out on the couch.

 

Quietly he slipped into his room and quickly changed out of his sopping wet clothes and into his own pajamas, a t-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. It was way too late to take a warm shower now and he didn’t want to take a risk in waking you up. There would be time in the morning for one.

 

He wasn’t surprised to see you still asleep on the couch when he returned to the living room. Oh so carefully he slipped his arms beneath your legs and your back to lift you up. It wasn’t too difficult carrying you to your room. With a nudge of his foot, he pushed the door to your bedroom open before carrying you inside. Thankfully the light coming from the hallway let him see well enough into the room. Gently he set you down on the unmade bed. He wasn’t too surprised that you hadn’t woken up as he finally pulled the covers over you. 

 

In the morning he’d have to remind you to not wait up too late for him to get home. You really must have been tired to fall asleep already.

 

Yamato’s eyes drifted downwards, letting them linger on your slightly parted lips. It would be easy to close the space between the two of you. It would be even more wrong to go through with it.

 

Mentally he cursed Kakashi for bringing these feelings out from where he had hidden them deep inside. Yamato quietly shut your bedroom door after exiting it, leaning his forehead against the wood as pure exhaustion filled him. It was late. Too much had happened today.

 

As soon as his head hit his pillow he had passed out.

  
  



	2. Bad Starts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato decides whether or not it's the right time to confess his feelings for you.

A mild headache was the only physical reminder of what happened the previous night when Yamato woke up the next morning. For at least ten minutes he stayed there in bed, laying there and mildly regretting the decisions he had made. It was a Saturday which meant he could easily just stay there in bed and go back to sleep for as many hours as his body would allow. As tempting as the idea sounded, he instead sat up in the bed. Rubbing at his aching head, he glanced over at the clock on his bed stand. 

 

It was only ten minutes past nine o’clock. That was sleeping in late by Yamato’s standards.

 

Getting out of bed wasn’t as big of a struggle as he grew more awake with each passing minute. The brunet stretched out his arms before exiting his room. Instantly the smell of eggs cooking filled his nostrils.

 

“Good morning sleepyhead,” you greeted him as he entered the kitchen. “You’re just in time for breakfast,” you gestured to the pile of bacon you had ready on a plate set on the dining table. Now all that was left was to finish the scrambled eggs you were cooking in a frying pan.

 

It was things like this that made it hard to risk ruining the trust and friendship he’s built up with you after so many years.

 

“Good morning,” he murmured back, still trying to shake off the drowsiness that hung over him. “Do you need any help with that?”

 

“No I’m almost done here. So did you have a good time with Kakashi last night? I don’t even remember you coming back last night,” you said, flipping over the eggs in the pan.

 

“Yeah it was nice catching up again, for the most part anyway. Speaking about that, I’m sorry I came home so late last night. I thought you’d either be awake or you would have gone to bed by then. I didn’t think you’d fall asleep on the couch waiting for me,” he said as he dug out a bottle of aspirin from one of the cabinets. Without hesitating he dumped out two into his palm before swallowing them both dry. He returned the pill bottle back to its original place. Hopefully the headache would leave soon enough. 

 

“Ah so that explains why I woke up in my bed this morning. Thank you for that, but you know you could have just woken me up right? I wouldn’t be upset I promise.”

 

“I don’t think you’d wake up even if there was an earthquake,” Yamato said in a teasing manner. You laughed at this.

 

“I guess you’re right. Still you should have left me. Maybe next time I’ll learn my lesson,” you said before turning off the stove and scraping the scrambled eggs from the frying pan onto two different plates.

 

“Mm, thank you. Breakfast looks delicious,” he said as he graciously accepted one of the plates you handed him. After grabbing a fork from one of the drawers, he took some bacon from the other plate you had placed on the dining table.

 

“You’re welcome, please eat as much bacon as you can. It’s about to expire in like three days and we really don’t need anymore leftovers,” you said as you took a seat across from him at the table.

 

A comfortable silence went by as the two of you ate your own breakfast. Both of you were still waking up completely so it wasn’t much of a surprise.

 

“I’m guessing you slept pretty well last night considering you didn’t wake up when I carried you to bed?” Yamato asked. He finished much faster than you. Standing up from his seat, he carried his plate over to the trash can to throw it away.

 

“Like a rock,” you said in between bites of eggs.

 

“Must be nice,” he muttered beneath his breath. “I’ll take care of the dishes,” he said as he picked up the frying pan off of the stove and placed it into the sink.

 

“Thanks Yamato. You’re the best roommate anyone could ask for,” you said as you finished the last bite of food. Throwing your own plate away, you placed your fork into the sink that he had started to fill with hot water. Reaching up to cup his face you pressed a kiss to his cheek in thanks. He nearly dropped the dish soap into the sink at the sudden action.

 

“You’re welcome,” he forced himself to look straight ahead as you left to your room. 

 

Once the sink was full enough with water, he used the dish rag to start cleaning the few dishes in the sink. There were only a few from the previous day so not much work to be done. However cleaning the dishes proved to not be much of a distraction from his thoughts. He couldn’t help but overthink what Kakashi had said last night.

 

Did you have feelings for him? Yamato wasn’t particularly good at picking up on when someone held romantic feelings towards him. It hadn’t occurred to him until much later in life that people may have in fact flirted with him when he had only thought they were being kind to him. This was another case in which he wasn’t sure if you were only being nice or maybe, just maybe you held some sort of romantic feelings for him as well.

 

A kiss on the cheek was an innocent action and you were only doing it to thank him after all. You didn’t mean anything by it right? It had never really occurred to him that the way you acted towards him was more than just friendly affection. After all it was normal to treat friends well and care for them deeply. Gosh he was examining this far too much. It wasn’t a good idea to analyze past actions so deeply. In the back of his mind he held onto that glimmer of hope that you might return his feelings. It could be possible. Especially since he had managed to keep his own emotions and feelings hidden for so long.

 

In what seemed like no time at all he had finished washing off all the dishes and left them out on a drying mat. He’d deal with putting them away later. Right now he needed to take a shower.

 

He hardly rushed as he stopped by his room to grab a pair of clothes to change into. To his curiosity, he noticed that your door was opened just the slightest bit. Walking closer, he peeked through the small opening to satisfy his curiosity. 

 

His face heated as he glimpsed bare flesh through the small opening. Your bare back faced him as he watched you pull a new pair of clean underwear up your legs. 

 

For a moment his brain seemed to stop working and he couldn’t get his legs to move. He could have sworn his heart stopped beating at that exact moment. It was a major invasion of privacy and left him feeling incredibly guilty. This was wrong and he needed to leave immediately. All you had to do was turn around and see him peeping like some horny teenage boy.

 

Finally he forced himself to take a step back. Then another and another, backing up until he was in front of the bathroom.

 

With an unintentional slam, the door shut behind him. With trembling hands he set down the bundle of clothes to change into on the sink’s counter.

 

The image of you naked remained burned into his brain as he stripped out of his clothes and turned on the shower. The image was clear as he stepped underneath the spray of cold water and continued to stay as the water began to warm up. He pictured you perfectly as he grasped his fully erect cock in his hand and began stroking himself. The image of you was still vivid in his mind even when he finally came in spurts, biting down on his lip to keep from making too much noise.

 

The guilt that overcame him was immediate as he watched the white and sticky substance flow down the drain, all evidence of the wrong he had just committed gone. It was a mistake that he couldn’t take back. All of it. He shouldn’t have allowed his curiosity to take over invade your privacy in the first place.

 

Unfortunately it wasn’t the first time had had let his mind wander to you as he relieved himself like this, ridding himself of all that stress and built up sexual frustration. It always left him feeling guilty and filled with regret. This time was different. This time he had real fuel to add to his fantasies. Now he knew exactly what you looked like, completely bare from behind. It would be so easy to picture you, bent over and him taking you from behind- fuck. FUCK. He did his best to force the image out of his head, instead imagining the horror on your face if you found out what he had done.

 

Even after he washed himself clean he still felt dirty beneath the spray of water. At least he no longer had the image of you naked stuck in his head. Now he forced it out as he pulled on a fresh pair of clothes after drying off. The guilt, however, remained as he brushed his teeth and got ready to start the day.

 

As far as he was aware, neither of you really had plans today. That meant it was going to be a really, really long day for him.

 

After folding his pajamas and placing them on his folded bed, he headed back into the living room. You were already there on the couch, legs folded criss crossed and your laptop seated on top of your lap.

 

Yamato made sure to sit on the seat far away from you. Even now he couldn’t look at you, eyes passing over your form quickly each time. There was no way he could confess now. Not right after he had touched himself to the thought of you.

 

Sighing deeply he grabbed the book he had been reading off of the coffee table. Today was going to be very long indeed.


	3. Time to Give Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato ends up calling it quits far sooner than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for so long. You guys are in for a lot of updates at the moment.

It had been a long while since the last time Yamato had been to Kakashi’s house. Quite a few months since he’d last been over. The apartment the man lived in was on the smaller side, but Yamato knew that the male prefered it that way. The rent was cheap and he didn’t really have any plans on living with another person anytime soon. The place seemed to fit the older male well.

 

“So I’m guessing you came over to tell me something important,” Kakashi said as he handed Yamato a beer. He sat beside him on the lumpy gray couch he owned. He wouldn’t exactly call it comfortable but he certainly couldn’t complain right now.

 

“Yeah, it’s about the bet,” Yamato said, not hesitating to take a long drink from the beer.

 

“Oh I wasn’t expecting you to confess so soon. How did it go?” Kakashi asked in a neutral tone. From Yamato’s body language, he was guessing that it hadn’t gone very well. It looked like he was going to have to be a source of comfort tonight.

 

“It didn’t. I didn’t confess.”

 

“Oh?” Kakashi blinked. “Then what did you need to tell me about the bet?”

 

“It’s over. You win. I’m giving up,” Yamato said, gripping the bottle in his hand tightly.

 

Kakashi frowned, brows furrowing in confusion. “...What happened?”

 

Yamato closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. Right now he didn’t even want to think about it. Apparently his desires didn’t matter because the memory of what occurred earlier played over again in his head.

 

\---

 

_ He had been waiting for over two hours. No text messages, no calls, nothing. There was no sign from you at all. Yamato had already started making dinner a long while ago. Now the food was left cold. He hadn’t had the stomach to eat. Not without you. Not when something might have gone wrong. _

 

_ It wasn’t like you to not let him know you were going to be out for longer than expected. You should have gotten off of work hours ago and yet there was no sign. There was nothing and he was left wondering if something bad had happened to you. Nausea filled him at the thought of you being hurt. Someone could easily kidnap you. A stranger could pull you into an alley and threaten you to let them fuck you or get shot in the head. Your corpse could be left lying in an alleyway and he’d have no way of knowing. _

 

_ Yamato had already texted you multiple times but there had been no response. Finding himself desperate, he attempted to get some information from one of your other friends. _

 

_ “Oh yeah I think she had plans or something tonight,” was the only response he got from one of them. The other two he had managed to get the numbers for hadn’t replied to his text messages. That was the only information he had towards your whereabouts. Really who could blame him for starting to panic. _

 

_ Tonight had been the night he planned on confessing. Of course it just had to be tonight where everything went wrong. This only proved to reassure him that it was hopeless to even confess his feelings towards you. This was clearly a sign that it wasn’t meant to be and that he should have moved on many months ago. _

 

_ Should he call the police? Was it too early to do that? Maybe he should call again. No, if you hadn’t gotten his texts you probably wouldn’t answer your phone. He just had to trust that you would make it back home safely. _

 

_ He had been pacing back and forth in the living room, worried out of his mind when he heard the sound of the front door opening. _

 

_ To his relief he saw you looking unharmed. However, it was the person behind you that left him feeling uneasy. The male was on the taller side and had short black hair. The strangers dark eyes were focused on you, not noticing Yamato standing in the living room. Neither did you as your back was turned while you faced the stranger. _

 

_ He wasn’t any friend of yours, at least not one that Yamato knew. He was pretty confident he had met all of your friends at least once. No, this man was new and left him feeling anxious. _

 

_ “Thanks again for tonight. I’ve never been to that restaurant before so it was nice to try something new,” you said, focused on the man in front of you rather than the other presence in the room. _

 

_ “Sure, no problem. I’m glad you liked it. We can try somewhere different next time if you want,” the stranger chuckled. He actually chuckled. Who the hell even does that, really? _

 

_ “Sure. Well anyway, goodnight.” you said, moving to shut the door. However you were stopped as the stranger leaned in to kiss you. _

 

_ Oh. _

 

_ Yamato was as frozen as you looked as the situation unfolded in front of him. It was like watching a car crash, leaving him unable to look away. If he listened closely enough he could have sworn he heard life laughing at him for being such a fool. An absolute moron for thinking you might return his feelings. Kakashi never should have convinced him otherwise. All it had done was left him heartbroken and sick to his stomach as he watched the scene before him. The sight of the man’s hand wandering down to squeeze your ass was enough to make him want to beat up the stranger. This was obviously a first or second date and he was already touching you like that? As if the man had a claim over you and your body. Did he have no respect for you at all or did you perhaps enjoy being touched in such a manner by someone you barely knew as far as he was aware. _

 

_ It was wrong to watch such an intimate scene. Finally Yamato forced himself to look away. Without either you or the male noticing, he slumped down on the couch and brought the book on the coffee table to his face. _

 

_ He didn’t watch to see you pull away. He didn’t see the uncomfortable look on your face as you took a step back. He wasn’t watching as the stranger left, seeming satisfied with how the evening had ended. All he heard was the door shutting and sound of your footsteps as you plopped down on the couch beside him. _

 

_ You were still wearing that dress, the fabric riding up to mid thigh when you sat down. Yamato had mentioned before how beautiful you looked in it. He withheld the fact that it was his favorite to see on you. He was positive that the man from before had enjoyed seeing you in it just as much. Had you worn it just for him? _

 

_ “Why didn’t you tell me you were on a date? You didn’t answer any of my messages. I was starting to get worried,” he kept a neutral tone, not wanting to betray his emotions. Setting the book down, he gave you his full attention. _

 

_ “Oh, I’m so sorry Yamato! I forgot to turn my phone volume back up. I didn’t even know you messaged me,” you sounded sincere. That made his heart ache even more. _

 

_ “I’m surprised you even went on a date. I thought you were taking a break from dating. That’s what you told me at least,” he couldn’t keep the irritation out of his voice. It was more than just heartbreak. He couldn’t help but feel the betrayal, hitting true and deep. You always told him when you planned on being home later. He hadn’t heard anything about you going on a date tonight. The two of you were supposed to look out for each other and he was left thinking you had been hurt or worse. Now he was the one left hurting. _

 

_ Yamato didn’t want to blame you. Even now he couldn’t. You were free to date whoever you wanted. It was your life and he had no desire to control that. Truly he wanted you to be happy, even if it meant you were with someone else. It wasn’t even the first time that you had dated someone. He had lived with you through many of your relationships and even some of his own. This time was different. This time he had been ready to give you his heart, leaving himself vulnerable to your decision. He didn’t even get the chance this time. _

 

_ Right now he just needed to let the pain pass. It wasn’t your fault. Not really. In the end he cursed his own feelings. _

 

_ “Yeah I was. I guess you could say my friend convinced me to do it,” you said before stretching out your arms and leaning back comfortably against the plush couch. _

 

_ “Did you even want to go out on a date? You make it sound like your friend forced you,” Yamato commented. He found this fact to be incredibly irritating. Why go on a date at all if you weren’t even the one who made the decision yourself?  _

 

_ “I mean it wasn’t bad or anything. It turned out okay,” you said, shrugging. He was quick to notice you had avoided what he had specifically asked.  _

 

_ There was a moment of silence. _

 

_ “So… Did you want to watch a movie tonight or something?” _

 

_ “If you wanted to watch a movie so badly why didn’t you ask your date to stay? I’m sure he would have loved to continue what you started at the door,” he snapped. Immediately he was filled with regret by the hurt expression on your face. _

 

_ “Wow someone’s pissed,” you frowned.  _

 

_ Yamato sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry for what I said. I shouldn’t have said it like that. Today was a long day and I’m really tired. I don’t really want to do anything tonight. I think I’m just going to bed.” _

 

_ “Oh. Okay. Goodnight,” you said quietly. He could still sense the confusion and hurt coming from you. _

 

_ With a heavy and aching heart he left you alone in the living room to get ready for bed. It wasn’t until he was laying in bed that he hadn’t eaten dinner yet. The food he had made earlier for the two of you laid untouched in the fridge. He was too tired and sick to his stomach to even think of getting up to eat. _

 

\---

 

“Ah I see. I’m sorry to hear you were too late,” Kakashi awkwardly patted him on the back. In retrospect, Kakashi may not have been the best person to come to when it came to comfort. Especially over a love interest. 

 

“I’m not even surprised. This would happen when I finally planned on confessing my feelings to her,” Yamato sighed before taking another swig of his beer.

 

“Does it seem like it’ll last? Her new relationship I mean?”

 

“I don’t know. Does it even matter? You were right Kakashi. I couldn’t confess to her for the entire year I was in love with her! How pathetic am I? How pathetic do you have to be to fall in love with the person you live with and not have the guts to tell them how you feel about them?” Yamato snapped. He could only feel frustration towards himself.

 

“You’re not pathetic. It’s not wrong to care for her. I’m sorry that things turned out like this, but I really think it’s time that you moved on. I’d be happy to help if you let me,” Kakashi reassured him.

 

“How?” Yamato asked despite his disbelief. It had been over a year. A year of desiring you. A year of being hopelessly in love with someone who didn’t return his feelings. A year of living with the person who made him the happiest. With the one who understood him better than anyone else and stood by his side no matter what. Fuck he was doomed. He was an absolute pathetic mess and he couldn’t imagine Kakashi being able to fix that.

 

“I know someone.”

 

Yamato couldn’t keep in the snort. He didn’t even bother to hide the doubt on his face.

 

“No really. I think you’ll like her. I know it doesn’t always seem like the best option, but I think taking your mind off of [Y/N] by being with someone else might do you some good. Just try one little date. That’s all I’m asking. It might help just a little,” Kakashi said in an effort to convince him.

 

At this point he might as well try anything. Anything to keep his mind from the despair he felt.

 

“Fine,” Yamato sighed. 

 

Kakashi smiled as he clapped him over the back. “Perfect. I’ll call her tomorrow and see when she’s free.”

 

“Great,” he said, feeling anything but that.


	4. Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamato goes on a date, but of course nothing goes as planned.

Yamato tugged on the sleeves of his button up shirt. Uncomfortable was an understatement for how he felt at that moment. It didn’t help that he was alone at the restaurant. To be fair he had arrived half an hour earlier than the time he was supposed to meet his date. Now it was only a few minutes passed the set time that his date was supposed to meet him. There was no reason to be so anxious. People could be late all the time for several reasons. She was only a few minutes late. There was no need to panic and worry that he had been stood up. There was no reason for that to happen. He just needed to calm down.

 

His waiter had passed by several times already and Yamato could have sworn he saw pity on the man’s face. That did nothing to ease his nerves. The waiter had already refilled his water once already.

 

It certainly didn’t help that it had been a long time since his last date. Six months to be exact. That time had been an attempt to move on from his feelings and look how well that turned out. It had been at least two weeks since the encounter with your date. Thankfully he hadn’t seen the guy since then, but he wouldn’t be surprised if you went off with him without Yamato’s knowledge. 

 

Deliberately he sat in order to face that door. That proved to be a mistake as his gaze remained focused on the entrance the entire time. With each person that stepped inside he wondered if they were the person Kakashi set him up with.

 

This time was no different as a young woman stepped inside the restaurant. When she seemed to be looking around, Yamato found himself feeling both hopeful and even more anxious than before. She was pretty. Which wasn’t much of a surprise if it was the person Kakashi set him up with. The man knew many attractive people since he always seemed to attract them himself. Yamato wouldn’t have been surprised if the woman fancied Kakashi herself at least once in the time that she knew him. At least if she was his date tonight.

 

She must have been since she began walking in his direction when they made eye contact. 

 

“Are you Yamato?” she asked once she stood in front of him.

 

“Yes and you’re Raina?” Yamato asked politely.

 

“That’s me,” she said before sliding into the booth across from him. “It’s nice to meet you,” she held out her hand for him to shake. He quickly shook her hand, hoping she wouldn’t have enough time to notice how sweaty his hands were.

 

“It’s nice to meet you too,” he said. An awkward silence followed which was quickly relieved by his waiter asking his date what she wanted to drink. Politely she asked for a water of her own.

 

“I’ll give you a few minutes to decide what you want to order,” the waiter nodded and went off to fetch her drink. Yamato mentally begged him not to leave. 

 

This was already starting to feel awkward and he felt much more anxious and nervous than he had previously. This was a very uncomfortable situation. It only proved to be a reminder on why he chose not to date that often. Agreeing to go on a blind date that Kakashi had set up was a mistake. It might not have been so difficult if he had known her. It was harder with strangers when you didn’t know what to say or what their interests were. Talking was more of a guessing game in this case and he desperately hoped that he wouldn’t offend his date in anyway.

 

“So how do you know Kakashi?” Yamato asked in an attempt to make conversation. He found himself having a hard time keeping eye contact for so long. This woman was a stranger. His thoughts reminded him that he was practically using her. This felt wrong on so many levels.

 

“We used to work together a long time ago. I switched jobs a while back but we still keep in touch every once in a while. He can be sweet at times,” Raina said as she flipped through the menu. Yamato had decided on what he wanted a long while ago. “How did the two of you meet?”

 

“I actually met him through work too. He was my supervisor at one point. I’m working elsewhere now though, but we’re still close friends,” Yamato said, hand gripping the glass of water in his hand tightly.

 

“Ah I see. Well I’ll have to thank him later for setting me up with you. I didn’t know he had such handsome friends,” she smiled at him in what seemed to be a flirtatious manner. 

 

“Oh- um thank you. You’re very pretty yourself,” he stammered, taken aback by the sudden compliment. Oh gosh why hadn’t Kakashi taught him how to act in these kinds of situations? This was not going to go well.

 

Yamato was eternally grateful when the waiter came just in time and set the glass of water in front of Raina.

 

“What will you two be having tonight?” the waiter asked.

 

Raina answered first, ordering lasagna and Yamato chose to go for a salad. Once again they were left alone after the waiter took their menus and headed towards the kitchen to place their orders.

 

This was going to be a long date. Even the last date, a fake date, he had been on was less awkward than this.

 

\---

 

_ They walked into the restaurant hand in hand. Yamato’s palms had already grown sweaty from nervousness but you still held a strong grip on him. _

 

_ “A table for two please,” you said once a waitress greeted you and asked if it was just the two of you or if there would be more joining the two of you. Yamato followed behind you as the waitress led you both to a booth and placed two menus on the table. _

 

_ It didn’t take long for another waitress to stop by and take your order. _

 

_ “Oh we’d also like to order that free appetizer too please. For the Valentine’s day couple’s special?” you said, reaching out to grab Yamato’s hand across the table. He was quick to take your hand in his own, intertwining his fingers with yours. _

 

_ “Of course. Anything else I can get you two?” the waitress smiled kindly. _

 

_ “Nope we’re good,” you returned the smile before glancing shyly at Yamato. “Is there anything else you need sweetheart?” _

 

_ “No, I’m good,” he shook his head, eyes focused on you. He didn’t dare make eye contact with the waitress. He couldn’t help but worry that she would see right through him. _

 

_ “Great. I’ll go place your orders. Happy Valentine’s day,” she said before walking off with your orders. _

 

_ “See, I told you we could pull it off,” you spoke quietly, just loud enough for him to hear. To anyone else it might seem like you were whispering flirtatious compliments or sharing an inside joke between two lovers. “Now we just gaze lovingly into each others eyes until they kick us out for being so gross,” you joked. _

 

_ That got a laugh out of him. He couldn’t help but smile at you, feeling better about the situation. At least the two of you would get something free out of the situation. It was as close to a real date as he was going to get with you and he was going to enjoy it while it lasted. _

 

\---

 

“So Kakashi didn’t actually tell me much about you… Do you have any hobbies?” Raina asked before taking a sip of her water. At least Yamato wasn’t alone in having awkward conversations.

 

“I read when I have the time. My roommate and I sometimes play games together if that counts. I also enjoy gardening.”

 

“Oh wow! What types of plants are you growing right now?” she seemed excited by this fact.

 

“Unfortunately nothing really extravagant. Really I’m just taking care of a few house plants since I’m living in an apartment currently. My roommate has a few plants too. I used to grow a lot of plants before I went to college and I lived at home, but now there’s no space for it. I’d love to do more gardening when I move into a different home though,” Yamato said. He was surprised to find how easy it was to open up. At least talking was getting easier. “What about you? What do you like to do in your free time?”

 

“I like baking a lot. Drawing is fun too but I’m not great at it. I think it would be nice to grow plants but it seems like I kill every plant I touch,” she joked.

 

“You can’t be that bad at it,” Yamato reassured her.

 

“I killed a cactus once.”

 

“Nevermind then,” he said, smiling when she laughed.

 

Once again they were interrupted by the waiter placing their food in front of them.

 

“I’ve gotta say you have pretty good tastes in restaurants. I can’t say I’ve ever been here before. It’s pretty nice here,” she said after finishing her first bite of her lasagna.

 

“Thank you. It’s a nice break not to have to cook for once,” Yamato said as he dug into his own meal.

 

“Wow you even know how to cook. That’s a rare trait at least for most of the men I know,” she said in appreciation. 

 

“Ha yeah. My roommate is actually the one who taught me how to cook. I cook for her a lot now and I know she appreciates it. You should have seen how bad I was at it before,” Yamato smiled at the memories. In the first few months of living with you he had been a disaster in the kitchen. It was a miracle he hadn’t burnt down the apartment or killed the two of you. On more than one occasion he had forgotten to turn off the oven, but thankfully you had always been quick to notice and make sure he had done so. He had you to thank for his ability to cook so well now.

 

“Oh, you live with a woman?” she seemed surprised by this.

 

“Yeah. I do,” he said cautiously. Would that be an issue for her? That might lead to some issues that Yamato honestly wasn’t willing to deal with. If living with a woman bothered her then the date was going to end a lot sooner than he originally thought.

 

“Are the two of you very close?”

 

“We’re very close friends if that’s what you mean. We’ve been living together for about three years now. We tell each other just about everything,” Yamato answered, straightening up in his seat. He was fully prepared to be on the defensive side if need be.

 

“Does she know you’re on a date right now?” she asked, face neutral.

 

Yamato remained silent. Instead he chose to pick at his food with his fork, focusing his attention elsewhere.

 

“Ah, I see,” she continued eating her food. “Kakashi was right. You really do have it bad for her don’t you?”

 

Yamato was glad he hadn’t taken a drink at that moment. He would have spit it right out at her.

 

“E-excuse me?” he asked, desperately hoping he hadn’t heard her right.

 

“Kakashi mentioned you were trying to get over your feelings for your roommate. I didn’t know it was this bad. You’ve brought her up a lot this entire time. I’d say you’re pretty hopeless. All you have left to do is talk about how pretty she is and then there’s really no saving you,” Raina said. Well this couldn’t be any more humiliating. 

 

“Oh God. I’m so sorry about this,” Yamato had no idea what to say. What were you supposed to say in a situation like this?

 

“Don’t be. I mean it’s still a free meal for me, right?” she smiled sweetly at him. It felt a lot like he was being blackmailed right now. Wow this had gone very wrong very quickly.

 

“Yes- of course. I already planned on paying for you as well. Don’t worry about that,” he said. Right now he had a rather hard time finding the desire to eat. His appetite had left him completely at this point. Raina on the other hand was nearly finished with her own meal.

 

“Now that we got that out of the way, I’d be happy to help you with your issue,” she said, crossing her legs under the table.

 

“What?” he inwardly panicked. What was that supposed to mean? Was she suggesting…?!!! She was certainly very pretty but the thought of sleeping around really put him off at the moment. It would feel wrong on so many levels. The thought alone left him sick to his stomach.

 

“I’m going to help you win your girl over,” she smiled deviously before taking the last bite of her meal.

 

Yamato remained skeptical, eyeing her warily. “How?”

 

“Let’s go to your place and you’ll find out. Your roommate should be home right now, right?”

 

“Yes I think so. At least that’s what she told me.”

 

“Perfect. Let’s grab the check and go!”

 

Yamato remained suspicious and slightly worried as he caught the waiter’s attention to ask for the bill and a box to go for himself. 

 

This night wasn’t turning out at all like he had planned.


	5. Jealousy Isn't a Good Look on You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Yamato have a little argument.

Yamato had no idea what was in store for him when he entered his apartment building with Raina following behind. Awkwardly he held the door open for her. 

 

“So what is the plan exactly?” he asked before pressing the elevator button.

 

“I’ll let you know when we get there,” she reassured him once again. This did nothing to ease his worries. If things escalated too quickly he wouldn’t hesitate to stop it. At the moment he wasn’t comfortable with this near stranger leaving him in the dark as he took her to his apartment. One date where he barely got to know her was hardly enough to call them friends. Even just calling her an acquaintance was pushing it. For all he knew she could be a crazy murderer and Kakashi had mistakenly set her up with him. Okay maybe that was stretching his imagination too far, but it wasn’t impossible. 

 

For a moment he hesitated to lead her towards his room. He paused as the elevator door opened before stepping out and walking down the hallway with Raina following behind.

 

“Well we’re here,” he said, standing in front of his door.

 

“Perfect,” she said. They stood there silently, staring at each other awkwardly. “Are you going to open it or not?”

 

“Oh- Sorry,” he murmured quietly before turning the door knob and letting them both inside. Almost immediately after they stepped inside and the door shut behind them Yamato was attacked. He was shoved back, pinned against the door. Her lips were on his in an instant, leaving him a stunned mess as he struggled for a moment to regain his composure. His hands went to his shoulder, pushing back against her in order to urge her to stop.

 

He could barely think as her mouth moved against hers. The whole situation felt strange and left him vaguely sick to his stomach.

 

Finally. Finally she pulled away, a smile clear on her face.

 

“Thanks again for the date. I can’t wait for next time,” she said rather loudly. It was then he looked up to see you staring from the couch, wide eyes with surprise and another nameless emotion he hadn’t seen on your face before.

 

“See you soon,” Raina said. She gave him a wink before slipping back outside and shutting it behind her. Yamato remained frozen in place, still not registering what just happened. Well that wasn’t exactly what he had been expecting and frankly he wasn’t particularly comfortable with how it went down either.

 

“I didn’t know you were out on a date tonight,” you said, not moving from your spot on the couch. Instead you faced back towards the television screen.

 

“Oh I must have forgotten to mention it to you,” he said. A lie. He lied right to you. He knew exactly what he had been doing. Call it petty revenge but he still did it and it was too late to go back and change what he had done.

 

“She was pretty. What was her name?”

 

“Raina.”

 

“What’s she like? Did you have a good time with her tonight?” you asked. Although your question sounded sincere, the smile faltering on your face said otherwise.

 

“She’s an interesting person,” that part wasn’t a lie. At least it could be considered a compliment. At this point he wasn’t quite sure he had very positive feelings towards her after tonight. “She’s a friend of Kakashi’s actually. That’s why we ended up going out on a date in the first place. I suppose I’ll have to thank him for setting us up.”

 

“Ah I see,” you nodded with a lack of enthusiasm. “Sounds like you had a good time.”

 

Yamato inwardly cringed at the memory of it. At least it might make for an interesting story, but right now it was too humiliating for him to ever bring it up.

 

“I’ve definitely had better dates in the past. It’s been a long time since I’ve gone on a date. I guess you could say I’m a bit rusty in the romance department,” Yamato sighed before running a hand through his spiky hair.

 

“Yeah I can’t remember the last time you went on a date,” you furrowed your brows. “I’m actually a bit surprised you went on one so suddenly. What made you decide to start dating again?” you asked. He didn’t take much notice to the way you played with a stray string that had come loose from the edge of your shirt. 

 

“What? Am I not allowed to date anyone?” he joked despite the way his heart ached in response to your question. 

 

_ It’s you. You’re the reason why I’m trying to date someone. I can’t move on and you’re the reason why. _ He would never be able to say the words out loud to your face.

 

“No! I mean I don’t mean to be like a nosy mom. Of course you can date whoever you want. I’m just surprised you went on a date suddenly. You’re not really the type to go on dates with someone you barely know,” you explained, eyes landing anywhere but on him.

 

“Maybe I wanted to try something new,” Yamato offered an excuse. He could never tell you the truth. From the look you gave him he knew you didn’t believe it for one second.

 

“Fine. Kakashi set me up and I thought I’d at least try.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie but it was far from the whole truth. It was the least he could offer at this point in time.

 

“Hm, I didn’t really think you were that desperate,” you snorted, crossing your arms. Your words felt like a low blow to him.

 

“Oh? What is that supposed to mean?” he bit back from saying anything more. He decided not to bring up that you had done the exact same thing not too long ago. What did that make you?

 

“I didn’t take you for the type to take out some random girl and bring her home with you,” your voice rose. “Would you have slept with her if I hadn’t been here to ruin your chances?” you almost sounded hurt.

 

“What? No, I- Of course not. I would never. You know me [Y/N],” he stumbled over his words, surprised by the sudden outburst.

 

“Maybe I don’t. You’ve been acting different lately. You didn’t even tell me that you were going on a date,” you glared at him. That miffed him more than anything. You were being incredibly hypocritical at the moment. Shouldn’t you be happy for him or at least be excited? He had gone on his first date in what seemed like forever. He was doing his best to move on. Shouldn’t you at least show some form of happiness that he was trying to date someone? Wasn’t that what friends were supposed to do? Why couldn’t you do that for him at least?

 

“Didn’t you do the same thing not too long ago? We tell each other everything. You have no idea how worried I was when you didn’t let me know where you were. I had to ask your friends where you were. Then you just come home with some man I’ve never met or seen before and makeout with him right in front of me,” he snapped, fists clenched tightly at his sides.

 

“Oh is this what that’s about? Is this some kind of revenge? Didn’t I already tell you I was sorry? What do you want me to say? I’m sorry I didn’t let you know at the time. It was unexpected and I was a little too busy to text you. I’m sorry if that hurt you Yamato. I really am. You know I care about you more than anyone,” your lips quivered as you neared the end of your little speech. If he looked closely he’d be able to see the tears of frustration beginning to form in the corner of your eyes.

 

The two of you stared at each other in silence, Yamato momentarily stunned speechless.

 

“I’m sorry,” he finally said in a soft voice. “This argument is ridiculous. You’re my best friend [Y/N]. I trust you with my life. We’ve lived together for a long time and I wouldn’t have it anyway. I’m sorry for hurting you,” his head drooped.

 

Without a word of warning you wrapped your arms around him in a tight hug. He was quick to return the form of affection.

 

“I’m sorry too. You’re right. That was really dumb to fight about. We’re both adults capable of dating whoever we want,” you let out a deep breath and rested your forehead against his chest. To him you almost sounded disappointed. 

 

“Do you think you have feelings for her?” you finally asked in a neutral voice, giving away no emotions. He couldn’t see the look on your face which made it that much harder to discern what you were feeling.

 

“She’s pretty nice. I don’t think a second date is going to happen anytime soon,” he spoke bluntly. No use in hiding the truth now. 

 

“Your kiss seemed to say otherwise,” you sounded somber which only surprised him.

 

“It surprised me as much as it did you. She was pretty forward and I wasn’t ready for it at all,” he admitted. 

 

“I’m sorry you had to go on a date with someone like that. I know what that’s like and it’s not really fun.”

 

“Yeah I guess this is what I get for trying to be with someone else,” he sighed heavily.

 

“...What?” you stared at him in confusion. What was that supposed to mean. Yamato groaned as he realized what came out of his mouth. 

 

“It’s nothing,” he hoped you would accept this answer and not question it any further.

 

“That didn’t sound like nothing. What do you mean trying to be with someone else? Who are you trying to get over?” you asked. You looked both worried and betrayed at the same time. It wasn’t surprising since the two of you shared almost everything. Of course this revelation would leave you confused.

 

As he thought through his options you stood up from the couch and walked over to his side.

 

“Yamato, talk to me. You know you can tell me anything,” you said in a reassuring manner. Gently you grasped his hand in your own as you stared up at him. He only stared down at your intertwined hands.

 

“I’m sorry,” he spoke softly, barely loud enough for you to hear.

 

“What’s wrong?” you asked worriedly. 

 

“I guess you could say that the date could have gone better. I’d rather not talk about it if that’s alright,” he said before bringing your hand up to his mouth and placing a kiss to the back of it.

 

You let out a deep breath. “Sure, I understand. I just hope you know you can tell me anything. Seriously I will help you hide any bodies if you need me too. I have your back, but I understand if you just need some space. Just let me know what you need and I’ll be there for you,” you remind him.

 

“I know. Thank you. Right now I think I just want to go to bed. It’s been a really long day. Goodnight [Y/N],” he said as he let go of your hand.

 

“Goodnight Yamato. I really hope you have a better day tomorrow,” you said, watching as he went to his room and shut the door behind him.

 

He sighed heavily as he slumped against his bedroom door. He’d have to take a shower in the morning since he felt too dead on the inside to do it now.


	6. Back to Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are just starting to get back to normal. Yamato is doing his best to move on from his feelings for you but life has other plans.

Things hadn’t remained tense for very long. At least a week had passed since Yamato’s date and things were back to normal. Just the other night was a movie night. 

 

Despite all this, Yamato’s thoughts were scrambling around as he decided what to do. Obviously trying to move on and date someone else wasn’t the right step. At least it wasn’t the first step he needed to take. He knew what it would take and yet he still found himself hesitating.

 

He needed to hear the rejection from you. To close off the possibility of a romantic relationship with you forever. He needed to hear from your lips that you could never consider him as anything more than a friend. That was the first thing he would have to do if he wanted to get over you once and for all. Because dating someone else had gone pretty poorly. Even if he were to try to date someone else he knew his thoughts would only return to you. It was unfair to both anyone he wanted to pursue a relationship with and himself. It was also wrong for you as well.

 

As Yamato contemplated how to go about this the lights went out. A few seconds later he heard the sound of thunder and then a crashing noise coming from outside of his room. Well that wasn’t good.

 

He quickly stood up from his desk chair. Slowly he made his way to his bedroom door, using his phone as a flashlight.

 

“[Y/N]! Are you okay?” he called out once he opened his door and exited his room. Cautiously he made his way to the living room where he thought you had been before.

 

“Yamato?” he heard you call out his name. He squinted as you held your phone light towards him, flashing directly in his face. He could now see that you were in the kitchen.

 

“Are you okay? What happened?” he asked.

 

“I dropped my glass of water.”

 

“Stay where you are. Don’t move. I don’t want you stepping on any glass,” he said as he made his way over to you. You obeyed, lowering your phone screen to the floor. Yamato also pointed his light towards the floor in front of you. Quickly he grabbed some equipment from a cabinet before returning to where you stood. 

 

Crouching down he carefully swept up the glass around your feet, making sure to keep the glass far away from touching you.

 

“Okay I think you can step out of the way now. Make sure there isn’t any leftover glass where you step,” he said. You quickly obeyed, taking a wide step over where the glass had previously been and standing beside him. You continued to shine the light down on the floor before. It was very helpful in aiding him in sweeping up stray pieces of glass.

 

“Can you grab a paper bag or something for me to put this in?” he asked.

 

“Sure,” you searched the kitchen before finally finding a paper bag. Swiftly you returned to his side and held it wide open for him to dump the broken glass in. Finally he took the bag from your hands and gently placed it into the garbage can.

 

“Thank you for the help. I’m sorry for breaking the glass,” you said guiltily. 

 

“Why are you apologizing? It was only an accident. A glass can be replaced easily we can go shopping for a new one some other time. I’m just glad you’re not hurt,” he said, examining you for any other signs of harm. At most you only seemed alarmed and anxious.

 

“Thank you,” you mumbled.

 

“Why don’t you stay here while I go find us some candles,” he said, moving to go find some. However, you grabbed at his shirt, stopping him.

 

“Wait,” your voice cracked. “I want to come with you.”

 

He stared at you worriedly for a moment, really taking his time to examine you. It almost seemed like you were afraid. Did you not like being alone in the dark like this? The moon was hidden behind dark clouds from the storm, keeping moonlight from shining through the window. Only a few flashes of lightning gave off light from the window. Regardless he didn’t question your request, instead nodding his head and gently grabbing your hand. First he grabbed a lighter from one of the kitchen cabinets before he carefully lead you out into the living room.

 

It took a bit of fumbling but he finally managed to find and light at least five candles. It wasn’t a lot of light but at least it was something. It gave off enough light that he no longer needed to use his phone as a flashlight in order to see.

 

Gently he lead you to the couch hand in hand until you two sat down. As soon as the two of you are seated he feels your body leaning against him.

 

“You can use me as a pillow if you’d like,” he suggested. You eagerly take him up on the offer as he scoots to the end of the couch. You rest your head on his lap, smiling tiredly up at him before turning onto your side.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“It’s no problem, [Y/N],” he said softly. He knows you’re more than grateful when he begins to play with your hair. With a gentle touch he runs his fingers through your hair. It’s a familiar and comforting gesture and he’s more than happy to help you relax. Whatever you need to help calm down and rid yourself of your anxieties.

 

In no time at all he notices your eyes are closed and your body rises and falls in a steady rhythm. 

 

“Maybe you should change and go to bed,” he chuckled at how tired you were. You really were falling asleep on him huh?

 

You groaned loudly in response, rolling over to glare up at him.

 

“Come on. I’m sure you don’t want me waking you up later,” he teased, continuing to stroke your hair.

 

With a dramatic sigh you sat up and threw your legs over the couch. You stood up from your spot.

 

Patiently he watched as you shuffled forward before stopping and turning back towards him.

 

“W-would you please come with me?” you asked shyly, eyes facing downward.

 

“Oh sure,” Yamato was surprised by this request. Nonetheless he practically jumped from the couch to follow behind you.

 

He let you lead the way. Using your phone’s light, you made your way into your bedroom and let him inside.

 

Immediately he turned around, facing the door.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait outside?” his face heated at the thought of you changing in front of him. It didn’t even matter that his back was turned and that he wouldn’t be able to see you. It was just odd to think of you stripping your clothes with him in the room.

 

“Please stay here. I really don’t want to be alone right now. As long as you face away it’s fine,” you said. Yamato could hear that you were already pulling your clothes off. The sound of your shirt hitting the floor was clear in his ears. He stiffened in place, doing his best to think of literally anything but the fact that you were taking your clothes off with him in the room.

 

He remained perfectly still and silent as he heard you open up your dresser and rummage around for a pair of pajamas. He stayed in place until he felt your hand touch his back. He jumped in surprise, not expecting it.

 

“Yamato?” you spoke quietly, letting your hand fall to your side.

 

“Yeah?” he asked, hoping you wouldn’t notice how flushed his face was. He was thankful for the darkness in the room that hid his face from your closer examination.

 

“Would it be okay if you slept with me tonight,” you asked shyly.

 

Yamato blinked in surprise.

 

“Ugh I’m sorry. I know that’s really dumb to ask. We’re both adults here, but I really don’t want to be alone right now. I’m sorry to ask you for something stupid,” your voice rose as you rambled on. You flinched when you felt his hand gently rest on your shoulder in a reassuring way.

 

“No. It’s not stupid of you to ask me that. I’m not going to judge you for that. Everyone is afraid of something and I’m not going to make fun of you for that. Of course I’ll stay with you tonight. Could you let me get changed first though?” he said in a calming voice. In reality he was mentally scolding himself for giving in to his desires. It wasn’t going to help him get over his feelings by sharing a bed with you. This was not helping the situation at all!

 

“Yeah, of course,” you let out a deep breath. “Thank you.”

 

“Do you need to come with me or will you be alright on your own for a few minutes? I promise I’ll be quick,” he waited for your response. Although it was embarrassing to think about, he’d be more than willing to let you stay in the room with him while he changed if that’s what made you most comfortable.

 

“I’ll be fine for a little bit,” you didn’t sound so sure.

 

He hesitated to leave until you turned you changed your settings so that your phone’s screen was much brighter in the darkness. That was all the assurance he needed before he headed to his own room at a brisk pace. As quickly as possible he changed into pajama pants and a cozy black t-shirt before returning to your room.

 

When he returned he saw that you were already laying in your bed, all the way against the wall in order to leave room for him.

 

Quietly he walked over to your bed until he was standing in front of it.

 

“Are you really sure you want this?” he needed the confirmation. You nodded eagerly, pulling back the covers to let him join you.

 

Still he found himself hesitating. It was things like this that kept him from moving on in the first place. These actions that happened every once in a while that intensified his feelings and gave him hope that their might be something more. Only for his feelings to be crushed when you brought another person home.

 

He must be a masochist, he decided as he got under the covers beside you. Almost in an instant you were snuggled up against him. Yamato wasn’t sure his heart would be able to take this closeness as you nuzzled your face against his neck. He knew exactly how much you loved to cuddle. This was especially evident on movie nights when you two cuddle beneath many blankets. Now it only made his heart feel like bursting from pain and nervousness.

 

How was he ever going to fall asleep now?


	7. My True Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's about to go down.

Yamato awoke to find your peaceful looking face close to his. He could clearly see drool dripping from the corner of your mouth. Even then he found you cute. Adorable and at peace with one arm slung around him.

 

Carefully he slipped out of your grip only to be pulled back into your arms so that he was facing you.

 

“Nooo, not yet,” you groaned, burying your face against his pajama shirt. He was careful to not let you feel anything below his torso, keeping his body far enough away so that you weren’t pressed right up against it. Even without his feelings towards you, morning wood was unavoidable and the last thing he wanted was for you to feel that right now. At the moment he didn’t want to risk you touching him and asking why exactly he was hard. It left him feeling more than a little embarrassed and uncomfortable.

 

“You’re lucky it’s only the weekend. Otherwise you’d have to be up by now,” he said, patting the top of your head. You groaned even louder at that. He found himself relaxing beneath your touch as you began tracing patterns on his back.

 

“Mmm what do you want for breakfast?” you asked before yawning. Still you remained by his side, cheek pressed against his chest. How it was a comfortable position for you he wasn’t sure.

 

“Why don’t you stay here and sleep some more while I go make us breakfast,” he suggested as he made a move to get up. Once again you pulled him back down beside you.

 

“No let me do it. You can just stay here. I want to make it up to you after last night,” you finally sat up in the bed. He knew better than to dispute it any longer. When you had your mind set he knew you weren’t going to back down anytime soon.

 

“Thank you,” he caved in. The warmth of your bed was practically begging him to stay. His eyes grew heavy as you maneuvered your way over him and got out of the queen sized bed.

 

He hadn’t even realized he had fallen back to sleep until he was woken up by you gently prodding him and the scent of eggs and bacon taking over his senses. Yamato was quick to sit up in bed, forcing himself awake.

 

“Wow you really must have been exhausted,” you said before handing him a plate piled with scrambled eggs and bacon on the side. Silverware rested on top. You held another plate for yourself in your other hand.

 

Yamato made a move to get out of bed but you stopped him.

 

“No you’re staying in bed mister. If you fell back asleep then you really must need the rest. Just sit back and relax. I don’t mind if you eat in my bed,” you said before sitting down at the end. Without hesitating you began digging into your meal.

 

Yamato was careful not to make a mess, keeping his mouth over the plate so no food fell from his fork and onto the comforter of your bed. There was a comfortable silence between the two as you finished eating your meals. As soon as he had cleaned his plate, you took the empty dish and silverware from his hands.

 

“Why don’t you go back to sleep for a while? Let yourself rest okay? I really don’t mind,” you said as you stood up from the bed.

 

Yamato was hesitant to give in to your suggestion. He was still tired but the idea of going back to sleep felt wrong. He needed to get ready for the day. The idea of not being up at a decent time rubbed him the wrong way. If he got up now he could get more things done.

 

“Please. You really should take care of yourself. Let yourself sleep for a little bit longer. I promise I’ll wake you up, alright?” you persisted, not daring to leave the room until he gave his word that he’d stay and rest.

 

“I should go to my room,” he didn’t necessarily agree. At the very least he should sleep in his own bed. It felt as if he had overstayed his welcome in your room. The idea of being in it without you there felt like an invasion of your privacy and personal space. Regardless of having your permission or not it still felt wrong.

 

“Fine, as long as you go back to bed or take a nap later,” you demanded.

 

“I will if you wake me up before ten.”

 

“I can agree to those terms. That gives you another hour. Better get to your own bed then,” you said. Leaning down you pressed your lips against his forehead before leaving the room to clean the dishes in your hands.

 

Yamato took his time getting out of bed. Part of him feared that he may be getting sick due to the fatigue he felt. It could also likely be due to stress. That seemed much more likely but he didn’t want to take the risk of getting worse. It seemed to take a long time to make it to his room and to crawl into his bed. In no time at all he gave in to the exhaustion and fell asleep once more.

 

\---

 

It was 9:47 in the morning when Yamato woke up again. That was more than enough rest. Still feeling fatigued, he managed to get out of bed easier than before and began putting on a fresh pair of clothes. With each passing moment he found himself feeling more and more awake.

 

Yawning, he opened his door and made his way to the bathroom to get ready for the day. It wasn’t his intention to overhear you. He barely paid any attention to what you were saying through the small opening of your doorway until he heard his name being said. That caught his attention.

 

This time he found himself feeling less guilty about invading your privacy without your knowledge. Yamato didn’t take you for the type to talk about him behind his back. He couldn’t help but be curious as he stepped closer to your bedroom door. It was only partly closed, open a few inches but still enough for him to be able to hear you better as he moved closer. He was able to make out that you were talking on the phone.

 

“-’t like me like that. He treats me like a little sister,” you sounded vaguely annoyed from what he could pick up.

 

“Besides he just went on a date last night. I don’t think he’d be doing that if he was interested in me like that.”

 

Yamato felt as if he had punched in the gut. Had you suspected his feelings for you before? The date he had gone on last night was the only evidence that he might not have feelings for you. Is that what you were talking about right now? The thought of you knowing that he had romantic feelings towards you but chose to ignore it made him sick to his stomach. He didn’t know what was worse. The fact that you ignored his feelings or that you had silently rejected him without confronting him about it. Had you been waiting this whole time for him to reveal his feelings so that you could finally turn him down?

 

Grabbing blindly, he grasped at the wall for support. He successfully knocked down a picture frame hanging against it. Yamato let out a shout as he scrambled to catch it, barely managing to catch it before it hit the ground. There was no doubt in his mind that you heard that. The panic began to set in when he heard your hurried footsteps and you threw your bedroom door open.

 

Your eyes were equally wide with surprise and poorly hidden panic.

 

“What did you hear?” you asked in a shaky voice. Your face was flushed pink most likely due to anger from him overhearing you talking on the phone.

 

“I heard enough,” he kept the tremor out of his voice. Yamato wanted to hear you say it to his face. That you weren’t interested in him that way. That you had known this whole time and hadn’t brought it up once. Instead you chose to let him mentally fight with himself and suffer as he did his best to get over you and the pain that came with it.

 

You looked distressed by his response.

 

“So I guess you know how I feel now, huh?” you laughed nervously. Despite the distress, there was still a hopeful look in your eyes.

 

“No. I need you to say it to my face,” he said, a tired look in his eye. At this point he was both mentally and physically exhausted. He was tired of having to hang on to these emotions when you clearly had no intention of returning them. They had haunted him long enough and he was sick of it.

 

You were clearly surprised by this request, eyebrows raised and the blush darkening on your cheeks.

 

“Well this is embarrassing,” you mumbled as you shifted your weight to your other foot. “I really like you Yamato. I know you’re probably not interested since you’re trying to date other people. I’m sorry you head to hear me confess like that,” you kept your gaze towards the floor.

 

_ What? _

 

Yamato could do nothing but stare with wide eyes.

 

“Oh and you really don’t have to say anything either. I don’t want to ruin anything between us. You’re still my best friend no matter what. I’m sorry you had to find out. I don’t care if you don’t return my feelings as long as you continue to be my friend,” you continued on in a soft voice. “I really hope I didn’t ruin anything.”

 

It would turn out like this wouldn't it? It almost seemed ironic. Regardless of his own feelings, he felt like a fool for things turning out this way. How could he have not noticed that you felt this way? Had he been so blind? Yamato wracked his brain for every moment that might have given away your feelings but still came up blank. You had always treated him kindly but that didn’t necessarily mean you had feelings for him right? Oh gosh he was too much of a mess right now.

 

“Yamato?”

 

“Sorry,” he shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. “I wasn’t expecting that from you.”

 

“You just heard me say it on the phone!” you exclaimed, cheeks burning even more. “Oh god. Did you actually not hear my confession?!”

 

“I thought you were talking about something else,” he explained.

 

“What did you think I was talking about!?”

 

“I thought you knew I had feelings for you and that you’d been pretending that you didn’t know about it,” he confessed, his gaze falling towards the ground instead of meeting yours.

 

Your mouth formed an ‘o’ shape as you stared at him equally surprised by his accidental confession.

 

“You feel the same way?” your voice cracked the tiniest bit.

 

“I thought you knew. At least everyone else seemed to know,” he muttered the last bit as he pictured Kakashi and Raina.

 

“No I had no idea. I thought you only saw me as a little sister from the way you treat me!”

 

“That’s funny. I thought you’d only ever see me as a friend,” he admitted, finally meeting your eyes.

 

“Are you kidding? Did you think I’d be able to keep from being attracted to such a hot roommate? I mean wow I really scored in that department. You were always so nice to me though and you were always respectful which is honestly a bonus. I never thought you’d be interested since you never made a move before,” you said.

 

“Then why did you go on a date with that one guy?” Yamato furrowed his brow. He frowned at the memory of the man kissing and putting his hands on you. The image still left a bad taste in his mouth.

 

“Well I imagine it was for the same reason you went on a date with that one woman last night,” you crossed your arms.

 

“Oh.”

 

“Yeah, oh.”

 

The two of you stood in silence, staring at each other while awkwardly waiting for someone to speak. You took the first step.

 

“Well what do you want to do? From my view we have two options. Either we can go back to normal and pretend nothing happened or we can begin a relationship,” you said. He found himself greatly appreciating the forwardness of it all. It was better than continuing about the day and not bringing up the conversation for some time. Leading to awkward moments where he wasn’t sure whether the two of you were actually dating or not.

 

“Personally I want to be with you. I don’t think I can go back now if you don’t reject my feelings. I understand if that’s not what you want,” he spoke carefully, watching your face for any sign of negative emotion. He could only find happiness on your face as he said those words.

 

“I’m glad you feel the same way. I want to be with you too Yamato,” you said, reaching forward to take his hand in your own. You brought his hand to your lips, keeping eye contact the whole time. “I like you a lot and I’m glad I finally know you feel the same way.”

 

His heart felt like it was melting from your sweetness.

 

“Would it… Would it be alright if I kissed you?” he surprised himself, the words coming out of his mouth without his own permission. A blush rose on his face as you nodded eagerly. Moving closer you tilted your head upwards to make it easier for him.

 

His heart pounded in his chest at the nearness of you. Your face was much closer than it had been this morning and here you were, offering yourself up for him to kiss you. His heart skipped a beat as your eyes fluttered closed and you leaned in even more.

 

Gently cupping your face he placed a kiss on your cheek, only a few centimeters away from your lips. That was all he could handle right now. Anything more and his heart my burst out of his chest.

 

It wasn’t hard to decipher the mild disappointment on your face when he pulled away. However it quickly turned into a smile as you quickly leaned in to peck him on the cheek in return.

 

This was going to take a while to get used to.


End file.
